Pushups are the perfect chest exercise for beginners and advanced exercisers alike. You don’t need any exercise equipment at all -- it’s just you and the floor. But if you want to do one-arm pushups or weighted pushups like the buff people at the gym, you probably need to start with regular pushups first -- and if working up to regular pushups is your goal for now, modified pushups are a good way to get started.

Counter Pushups

Despite what the name suggests, you don’t have to use a kitchen counter for doing counter pushups. In fact, you can do them against a wall, a bed, a park bench -- anywhere you find a horizontal surface at the right height. Place your hands on whatever you’ve chosen for support, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing down. Walk your feet back until your body stretches straight from head to toes, then bend your arms, lowering your chest toward the chosen support. Straighten your arms and push yourself back to the starting position to complete the repetition. As you get stronger, use progressively lower surfaces for support until you’re doing full pushups on the floor.

Knee Pushups

If you’re not comfortable doing wall pushups or can’t find a support at the right height, try knee pushups instead. Kneel on the ground and walk your hands forward until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Place your hands on the floor directly below, but a little wider than, your shoulders. If doing palms-down pushups hurts your wrists, use pushup handles or rest on your fists; you can use thin pillows or a soft yoga mat to pad your knuckles.

Squeeze your abs to keep your body torso flat like a board as you bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the floor. Stop when your arms are bent at right angles, then push yourself back to the starting position. Once you can do about 20 knee pushups with good form and no rest in between, try doing full pushups.

Full Pushups

Full pushups are just a knee pushup with your legs straight, or a counter pushup with your hands on the floor. Place your hands beneath your shoulders, fingers pointing forward, palms a little farther apart than your shoulders. Walk your feet back until your body is straight from head to heels -- this time your knees are off the floor, and your hips should be in line with the rest of your body; don’t let them pike up or sag down. Squeeze your abs to maintain this straight, flat body position as you lower yourself into the pushup, then press back up into the starting position.

Making A Routine

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you should work every major muscle group -- which includes your chest, triceps, shoulders and abs, all worked by pushups -- at least twice a week. If your goal is to get stronger you can do pushups as frequently as every other day, but start with just once or twice a week and work up to more frequent workouts.

Always leave that “rest” day in between; your muscles get stronger as they rebuild on that rest day, not during the actual pushups. Do one to three sets of as many pushups as you can manage; once you can do 20 of any given pushup type, try a more difficult variation.